Shen Qingqiu doesnāt know immediately heās cursed. Sure, maybe heās lost some weight. Maybe his arm feels a little heavier than usual. Maybe heās a little lightheaded from time to time, but what of it? Heās waiting for his impending death, which will be long and painful, who would have a good appetite in a situation like this?
Weeks go by, he rarely leaves the house, and everything is fine, even if some of his students keep looking at him like he might faint any minute now.
The whole next day is a blur ā Mu Qingfang with his needles and familiar qi, Yue Qingyuan with his guilty expressions, Liu Qingge trying to break through the Without-A-Cure blockage that just isnāt there.
Itās a Fading Curse. Stupid fucking wife plot that makes his body slowly fade away in the most dramatic and tragically beautiful way. Shen Yuan remembers reading about that what feels like a lifetime ago ā another beautiful maiden fell victim to a mysterious disease, origins of which werenāt even mentioned, and started to lose her life force.
Of course, since she was a future wife, she couldnāt be slowly dying in a real way ā her hair didnāt fall out, her teeth were just fine, and even by the time she was barely breathing her bladder worked alright. Absolutely unrealistic.
So, Shen Qingqiu is thin, with fragile wrists and fingers, his skin is a fetching porcelain-pale, heās dizzy all the time and is ready to fall into Luo Bingheās arms in a very dramatic fashion.
Only Luo Binghe isnāt here. Because Shen Qingqiu tossed him into the Endless Abyss.
Shen Qingqiu thinks, at first, heās got about enough time in his once-again-dying body for his and Shang Qinghuaās back-ups to be ready. Shen Qingqiu is wrong.
He wakes up one day to a wet pillow. Itās not the first time itās happened, to his horror, so he just groans and furiously wipes at his face. His hands come out bloody.
āThe curse has progressed to its final stage.ā Mu Qingfqng says, careful hands wiping at Shen Qingqiuās cheeks, cleaning blood that wonāt stop flowing from his eyes. āThe treatment isnāt-ā
āThis one doesnāt need treatment.ā Shen Qingqiu interrupts.
āAllow this shidi to disagree. Shixiong will die, and he will die soon, if he doesnāt-ā
āThis one will not get married.ā Shen Qingqiu snaps.
He will not get someone to marry him. Him! An alive target for Luo Bingheās ire!
āIt doesnāt have to beā¦ real.ā Mu Qingfang tries.
As if Luo Binghe will care if itās real or not. He will probably kill Shen Qingqiuās fake spouse as an introduction to the torture.
āIt doesnāt have to happen at all.ā
But plant bodies arenāt ready and Shen Qingqiu gets worse and everyone is worried. He is always accompanied by at least one of his martial brothers, Yue Qingyuan and Liu Qingge being his most common companions.
āYou have better things to do.ā Shen Qingqiu grunts at Liu Qingge, as he comes to himself after trying to walk across his room and fainting, once again.
āThen marry me.ā Liu Qingge says.
The wedding is organized quickly. Everything is ready by the next morning. Shen Qingqiu is dressed by Ming Fan, and it feels all wrong. The whole thing is wrong. He never planned to wear red wedding robes at all, let alone like this. Heās at least thankful for the color of his clothing ā blood isnāt that visible on crimson red, and he just canāt seem to stop crying. Pathetic.
The ceremony is to take place right by his bamboo house, since no one trusts him to walk any further. Liu Qingge arrives right in time, dressed impeccably, as a groom who will never become a real husband. One more thing that Shen Qingqiu ruined.
His head is clouded, and he feels a treacherous quiver in his knees. Heās about to fall, again. He wipes his face with a wet, silk kerchief and tries not to fucking cry. Gods.
āLetās get this over with.ā He asks.
Thereās movement around him, quiet voices.
āArenāt you dead?ā Liu Qingge asks.
Shen Qingqiu doesnāt think so, though he is certainly close. He looks up, and finds that Liu Qingge isnāt talking to him. Thereās someone behind, someone who-
Shen Qingqiu turns around, willing his feet to stay steady.
āShizun,ā Luo Bingheās eyes are red. Itās bad, though Shen Qingqiu doesnāt register why right away. āIs this one late to celebration?ā
Heās early. Shen Qingqiu should have known that his Luo Binghe is so much better, stronger, faster. He should have known that heāll be out of hell faster. His barely beating heart fills with misplaced pride for a short moment. His eyes fill with tears.
āShizun.ā Luo Binghe gasps.
Will he kill him now? Will he kill everyone?
Shen Qingqiu doesnāt get to find out. His knees give out and he falls.
